Ivan adds: “It’s definitely made us stronger.
Feelings get discussed and we realise that there’s a line, and when that line gets crossed, everybody gets a chance to express how they feel about that and the potential consequences of that if it ever happens again. Speaking in his smooth, measured cadence, Jason muses, “Maybe Memphis was one of those crossroads that the band had to get through so that it never happens again. It’s been said that pain is the touchstone of all growth, and in this context, what happened in Memphis has proven critical to the band’s future. But life goes on, man, and we’re still a band.” It was one night that wasn’t great, and hopefully we can make up for it. We get on each other’s nerves, just like anyone else in their relationship. “We’ve been together 10 years now, so it’s like a marriage – some days are better than others, but we love and respect each other. Five Finger Death Punch have spent the past three years playing nearly 200 shows across the globe, crossing back and forth through North America, Europe, Austria and New Zealand, and even a handful of shows in Kuwait and Iraq. Bands with road crews to feed, families to support and sold-out venues on their calendar don’t have that luxury. For most people, conflicts with friends, family or co-workers quickly dissipate through a little time apart. Realistically, it’s likely that the incident had less to do with technical problems and more to do with the goopy emotional sludge that accumulates during long stretches of touring and years of living and working in each other’s personal space. At one point, Ivan even sticks his thumb out at the traffic, stopping a car and pretending to hitchhike away from the shoot. Today, the band are anything but, posing for our Mad Max-themed shoot and laughing and joking together. We got through it, but it was pretty ugly and it was unprofessional.” He and I got into a little scrap and it just wasn’t cool. Then Ivan lost his cool completely and just started taking it out on everyone, including me. “Our wireless packs were having all kinds of interference and we started getting a little frustrated with that backstage. “Well, we just could not get it together,” he says. If Ivan is still licking his wounds, Jeremy seems to have already put it behind him, actually chuckling when we raise the issue. He’s one of my best friends and yeah, we fucked up.
I really fucked up and I was so embarrassed. Unfortunately, there were 20,000 people watching while he and I had an argument. The saying is that you should wash your clothes at home. It just sucked that I had my microphone in my hand. He continues, “Jeremy and I were talking backstage and we were both being human. I was born on January 7, he was born on January 8 – we’re connected at the hip…” ‘Glum’ does not begin to approach the tone with which Ivan now speaks. Jeremy and I are pretty much best friends. We’d just got a new sound guy and there was a lot of technical shit going on. Nonetheless, he draws a deep breath and offers, “It started out as a technical thing. Finally, we press – just what the hell went down on that stage? Until now, we have avoided discussing Memphis, as the subject remains a sore one. In fact, he ends most conversations by saying, “If you need anything, call me.” And then, pausing until he makes sure he has your attention, adding, “Hey, I mean it.” We catch up with him as the band are preparing to leave for Europe, where they’ll be supporting Judas Priest on the Redeemer Of Souls tour. He chuckles at himself often and generally wants a detailed rundown of how you’re doing before talking about himself. Far away from the stage and his glistening silver pistol and skull microphone stand, Ivan is almost disarmingly gracious, speaking pensively and always maintaining eye contact.
0 kommentar(er)
